Endangered Cranes

[Sprocky]

National bird remains endangered
2012-07-09 22:22

Johannesburg - South Africa's national bird, the blue crane, remains endangered, the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) said on Monday, as the annual KwaZulu-Natal aerial crane survey entered its 20th year.

The crane count is a joint effort between the EWT and Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife (EKZNW) and was started to monitor the populations of different crane species in the province.

The survey was one of the longest running of its kind in the world, said EKZNW spokesperson Ian Rushworth, describing it as a "wonderful achievement".

He said the province was home to 250 wattled crane, or more than 85% of the country's population of the "critically endangered" bird.

KwaZulu-Natal was also home to about 6 500 grey crowned cranes and about 1 000 blue cranes.

EWT said the blue crane's dwindling numbers were largely because of a loss of grasslands in the province.

The survey takes place in June or July, which is the peak of wattled crane breeding season and is the time of year grey crowned cranes and blue cranes flock together.

It requires about 25 hours of flying, and covers 20 000 square kilometres over five days.

"The information collected over the last two decades has been hugely valuable," said EWT field officer Tanya Smith.

"It has helped us to monitor trends in crane populations, while also contributing significantly to the development of a viable captive breeding flock of wattled cranes," she said.

The EWT said that the aerial monitoring had revealed that the steady decline of all three crane species from 1970 to 2000 had finally stopped.

The organisation credited this to conservation efforts.

- SAPA

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[Flutterby]

Great pic LVB!

[Dindingwe]

Mlilwane game reserve (Eswatini)

[ExFmem]

So simple, yet so elegant and graceful Lovely

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Lovely pic Dindingwe!

[Lisbeth]

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[Lisbeth]

Once-threatened cranes make a comeback in South Africa, thanks to conservationists’ efforts


‘Colour ringing’ Wattled Cranes is a key activity undertaken to understand the species and improve conservation activities. (Photo: Daniel Dolpire) / A young Wattled Crane, colour ringed and embarking into a protected wetland. Vital actions to save these critically engendered species. (Photo: Daniel Dolpire)

By Angus Begg | 10 Mar 2022

‘Being able to record a positive growth, especially within an endangered species, demonstrates that conservation action and intervention [do] work,’ says Brent Coverdale, the co-author of a recent report by the KZN branch of the International Crane Working Group.
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Not too long ago the numbers of most crane species in South Africa were threatened. Thanks to consistent conservation efforts, including 23 years of aerial surveys and bird counts, there has been a steady and significant increase in the population size of three of South Africa’s crane species, a recent report by the KZN branch of the International Crane Working Group confirms.

Whether or not you are a birder it’s good news, says the report’s co-author, Brent Coverdale of Ezemvelo KwaZulu-Natal Wildlife.

“In a world where the environment and the species therein always seem to be under pressure and one step closer to extinction, being able to record a positive growth, especially within an endangered species, demonstrates that conservation action and intervention [do] work. If you get the approach right, you can make a difference, and [it proves] that we are not fighting a losing battle.”

With about 20 years of experience working with cranes, in which time the wattled crane has tottered on the brink in South Africa, Coverdale says the success of this project gives hope for other species, like rhinos, pangolins and vultures, whose populations are declining.

“The province of KwaZulu-Natal represents the core area for wattled cranes in the country, with over 90% of South Africa’s total population resident in KwaZulu-Natal. If as a province we do not get it right then South Africa doesn’t get it right.”

Kerryn Morrison, the senior manager for Africa at the Endangered Wildlife Trust and regional head of the International Crane Foundation, says the broader Drakensberg is another focal point.

“And our focus will be on securing the blue crane population in other parts of the country. They could be in decline.”

Morrison made a name for herself in the birding conservation world of the 1990s, dressing up as a wattled crane on the Dullstroom wetlands, pretending to be an adult in an effort to engage with chicks. Such was the effort needed to keep up the numbers of that particular species. But it’s not just about passionate workers, the buy-in of corporate (forestry) and private landowners is key.

“The awareness drives have been focused at all users whose activities may impact upon cranes,” says Coverdale, referring to landowners, local communities and forestry departments.

“Part of the reason for the positive growth of crane populations is that cranes have been foremost in the minds of these people because crane conservationists have made sure it has.”

He says the outreach to landowners and communities highlighting the plight of cranes, their habitats and why it is important to conserve them, has had a positive impact. This has led to crane-friendly management practices, tracts of land being protected for cranes and their habitat, and mitigating threats — such as proactively marking power lines to avoid deaths as a result of collisions and electrocutions and ensuring that the misuse of agrochemicals is halted. The land is key.

“Grasslands and wetlands are under severe anthropogenic pressure,” says Colleen Downs, a professor and research chair in ecosystem health and biodiversity at the University of KwaZulu-Natal.

“So the cranes are flagship species for these areas. The cranes’ persistence is linked to their wetland and grassland habitat.”

“Their presence,” says Coverdale, “indicates a healthy functioning ecosystem.” In this case grasslands and wetlands, the latter — whether the Cape Flats, Wakkerstroom or any of the hundreds of wetlands across South Africa — provide a variety of ecosystem services, clean water and flood attenuation, while grasslands aid in the prevention of soil loss.

Coverdale says KwaZulu-Natal’s Stewardship Programme has enabled private landowners, corporate companies and communities to ensure that the tracts of land under their ownership/control are protected into the future, even if the property changes ownership. Yet he’s quick to point out the success story is not just about one or two species.

“The reason cranes across the globe are a threatened family is due to their habitat being under threat. They cannot adapt to alternatives as some more common species have been able to. Their absence indicates an imbalance in the system, which in turn impacts upon mankind.”

That imbalance is all around us as the Earth surges between violent extremes of hot and cold as a result of the warming climate.

“It’s about finding the balance between cranes and people on the same landscape,” says Morrison. “We’ve made huge strides on the South African landscape and now we’re taking those lessons to Africa.”

She says they have long-term projects in Zambia, Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda and other projects spread across west, southern and east Africa.

“We are doing something right,” says Coverdale. DM/OBP

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[Lisbeth]

South Africa’s wattled cranes are no longer critically endangered: why the birds’ numbers are rising

May 19, 2025 - Lara Fuller, Honorary Research Associate: School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal


Wattled crane mother and chick. Jacquie van der Westhuizen/Endangered Wildlife Trust

Cranes are some of the world’s most majestic birds, with 15 species found globally. Four of these are found in Africa. The wattled crane in South Africa was in decline, but seems to have turned a corner. Its numbers have increased from just 188 birds in 2000 to 304 today. Crane researcher Lara Fuller explains how the population’s recovery recently led to it being moved from Critically Endangered to Endangered on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s list of threatened species

What is so special about wattled cranes?

Wattled cranes are the largest crane species in Africa. They are only found on the continent and there are only about 9,600 left in Zambia, Botswana, Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, South Africa, Tanzania and Zimbabwe.

The tall birds (up to 180cm or six feet tall) have a wingspan of up to 2.6 metres wide and can weigh up to 8 kilograms. They’re the tallest flying African bird.

In the wild, the wattled cranes are estimated to live for about 30 years although older birds have been observed.

These birds carry striking colours and conduct spectacular mating rituals involving bowing, dancing and jumping. They symbolise grace, devotion, beauty and longevity.

What’s happened to the numbers?

Firstly, the number of breeding areas has increased. In 1999, there were only 70 breeding territories. Today, this has increased to 84 breeding areas in the wattled crane’s core population in the province of KwaZulu-Natal.


In a wetland with a 7 day old chick. Jacquie Van der Westhuizen/EWT

To count cranes, we use annual aerial surveys. We average the number of birds viewed over several years so that we are sure we get an accurate number.

In 2000, there were just 188 individual birds in KwaZulu-Natal. By 2005, the South Africa population had increased to 242 individual birds. By 2024, 304 individual birds were found.

How did the wattled cranes move from Critically Endangered?

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature keeps lists of how endangered all animals are globally. This helps scientists and society know when an animal is edging closer to extinction.


An adult and 12 week old crane eating a millipede. Jacquie van der Westhuizen/EWT

When an animal becomes less endangered through a conservation success, this is known as downlisting. In the case of the wattled cranes, their downlisting from Critically Endangered to Endangered was achieved by the Endangered Wildlife Trust and the International Crane Foundation working with landowners where the birds live to restore their habitats.

Where do wattled cranes live?

The biggest number of these birds living together in Africa is found on the southern-central floodplains (areas of flooded grasslands found in different countries across southern and central Africa). There are two smaller populations in Ethiopia and South Africa.

Most wattled cranes in South Africa inhabit the foothills of the Drakensberg mountain range. This area provides a large amount of drinking water to numerous towns and settlements.

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A rare sighting of all three crane species together. Jacquie van der Westhuizen/EWT

Wattled cranes live in wetlands and grasslands in the area. The wetlands form between 10% and 40% of their breeding territory, and the surrounding natural grasslands make up about 20% to 80% of their nesting territory.

Grasslands are crucial to the health of wetlands. They keep soil stable and prevent erosion and siltation of the wetland. These areas also provide water to people through naturally occurring springs. These are often used by rural villages, and without them, many communities would not have access to drinking water.

Grasslands are also foraging areas for the family of wattled cranes as the chick becomes larger. Wattled cranes eat water lilies and other water plants, water insects, snails, and frogs found in wetlands.

The birds breed in wetlands, where there is enough food available for chicks to grow one inch (2.54 cm) per week after they hatch.

The chicks only start flying when they are several weeks old. Until then, wetlands act as natural moats, protecting chicks from being eaten by predators.

Wetlands are often seen as muddy, damp, insect ridden and smelly places. In South Africa in the 1970s, 50% of the country’s wetlands were drained and turned into commercial agricultural lands or degraded. As South Africa is also considered a water scarce country, this action had a devastating result and is partly the reason why the wattled cranes became critically endangered.

When rain falls in abundance, wetlands soak up the water, slowing the flow down and reducing flooding. This saves a lot of damage to infrastructure and prevents soil erosion in natural areas. Wetlands are also a natural water purification system – they clean pollutants from the water, and deliver water that is much cleaner than it was when it soaked into the wetland.

Where wattled cranes are found breeding in wetlands, it is a clear sign that the wetland is healthy and thriving. The wellbeing of people, cranes and wetlands is intricately linked.

How can the wattled crane be protected further?

The size of the wattled crane population in KwaZulu-Natal – fewer than 400 birds – makes it incredibly vulnerable to catastrophic events, such as disease. This would put the species at risk of extinction in South Africa.

Wattled cranes need more breeding sites to increase their populations. Wetlands need to be rehabilitated and restored, because the birds won’t mate and breed in degraded or polluted wetlands. Environmentalists and the birds will be relying on the goodwill of landowners and everyone who uses wetlands to support this and help keep wetlands clean.


The wattled crane. Jacquie van der Westhuizen/EWT

We plan to deepen our work in restoring wetlands. We aim to restore wetlands in other parts of South Africa too so that wattled cranes can go back into these habitats and continue to breed.